Application of high purity niobium sheets in neutron detection

The performance of metal materials used in nuclear power plants will be weakened by neutron bombardment, so it is necessary to evaluate the performance of metal materials regularly. When evaluating, it is necessary to conduct a quantitative measurement of the radiation dose of the neutron bombardment of the metal material, at this time it is necessary to use the neutron detector. The neutrons that mainly affect metal materials are fast neutrons above 1.0MeV, which are mainly measured with neptunium, uranium and niobium. However, neptunium and uranium are fissile materials, which have disadvantages such as danger, inconvenient transportation and shortage, so niobium sheets are generally used in nuclear power plants at present.

However, the natural niobium-tantalum symbiosis, and the physical properties are close, the tantalum in niobium is difficult to separate, but the tantalum element is one of the biggest factors affecting the accuracy of the neutron measurement of niobium, so the tantalum element must be separated from niobium. The other biggest factor affecting the accuracy of niobium's neutron measurement is the thickness of the niobium sheet itself, so it must be made into a very thin niobium foil. Therefore, in terms of purity, the purity of niobium must reach more than 99.99%, and the content of tantalum must be less than 5 parts per million. For example, this concentration is equivalent to seven drops of ink in a bathtub of water; In terms of the thickness of niobium foil, its own thickness needs to be controlled within a few to ten microns or so, and for example, this thickness is basically 1/3 of the hair and about 1/5 of an A4 paper.

Fortu Tech can produce and process niobium sheet, niobium plate, niobium wire, niobium tube, niobium rod, niobium foil and niobium processing workpiece according to customers' requirements.